Services

About Befriending

Our island-wide Befriending Service reaches out to seniors who are at risk of social isolation. Trained befrienders (volunteers) provide social and psycho-emotional support to befriendees (seniors) through weekly home visits. Seniors aged 65 years old and above, with limited or no family support are eligible for the service at no charge. The aim is to help them age in place within the community and relieve their loneliness and social isolation.

We also provide community contact for our seniors by coordinating social and recreational activities sponsored by Lions Clubs and various community partners, corporations and individuals. In working with other elder-care voluntary welfare organisations and service providers to facilitate better co-ordination in the provision of community-based care and support services, we are committed to help enhance our seniors’ quality of life.

Since our inception in 1995, we have served more than 12,000 seniors and trained more than 3,000 befrienders.

BE A VOLUNTEER BEFRIENDER

WHY THE NEED FOR THIS PROGRAMME

Befriending Services is similar to a “good neighbour programme” where a senior is visited by befrienders (volunteers) in their homes.

This seemingly small act cannot be understated. As the ageing population continues to grow exponentially, there is an increasing number of seniors living alone. A decline in neighbourliness over the years put seniors at risk of loneliness and social isolation.

We engage befrienders (volunteers) to make regular home visits to lonely seniors. Through the visits, our befrienders provide social and psycho-emotional support to our seniors. At the same time, the befrienders can monitor their welfare and living environment to ensure that they age well and with dignity in their golden years.

In addition, the Lions Clubs and various community partners provide opportunities for seniors to participate in outings and celebrations, thus allowing them to remain engaged in the community.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

The desired outcomes of the Befriending Services are to:

Reduce the isolation of lonely seniors and improve their well-being

Enable lonely seniors to age in place with community support

Provide seniors with access to contacts and sources of help

FUNDING

The Befriending Services is funded by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).